Boys basketball: Carmel rallies but can’t catch Joliet Catholic

Any basketball team would love to have a guard it can count on to handle the ball and direct the offense late in the game.

The Joliet Catholic boys team has that in triplicate, and it showed Friday night in a 56-48 win over East Suburban Catholic Conference rival Carmel.

Jayden Armstrong led the Hilltoppers (10-7, 2-2) with 18 points, including a 10-for-10 showing from the free-throw line, while Donavyn Simmons and Danny Cervantes each scored 13.

Simmons and Armstrong were also big factors in the JCA defense slowing down Carmel’s high-scoring guard Ethan Matz in the fourth quarter. Matz finished with a team-high 20 points, but only four came in the fourth after he drained four 3-pointers in the third.

Matz’s outburst helped the Corsairs (6-10, 2-2) take a 38-37 lead into the fourth after trailing 28-21 at halftime. He then started the fourth by taking a rebound coast to coast and scoring for a 40-37 lead.

The JCA defense provided a spark as a steal turned into a fast-break dunk by Elias Passehl (seven points). Simmons then turned a steal into a layup and was fouled, making the free throw to complete the three-point play and give the Hilltoppers a 42-40 lead. Jackson Stavros (11 points) answered with a short jumper in the lane for Carmel to tie it.

JCA’s Dylan Travis scored underneath before Drew Bance did the same for Carmel for a 44-44 tie. Armstrong then made a pair of free throws to give the Hilltoppers the lead for good at 46-44, adding a drive to the basket for a 48-44 lead. A free throw by Travis put JCA up 49-44.

Preston Dahm hit a pair of free throws for Carmel to make it 49-46, but JCA went 7 of 8 from the free throw line in the final minute to salt away the win.

“We were very aggressive on defense tonight,” Simmons said. “We were able to use the turnovers to create offense. At the end of games, when either me or Jayden have the ball, we know we’ve got it. We’ll either drive and score, drive and get fouled or drive and kick it out to Danny for a 3. When we get it to Danny, we know he’s going to knock it down.

“Everyone played well tonight. Elias had a big dunk that got us going, and Brady Tunkel just brings that dog with him every game.”

Cervantes opened the game with a 3-pointer. The Hilltoppers went up 8-2 on a 3-pointer by Simmons before Carmel ended the quarter on a 7-2 run to close to within 10-9.

Passehl opened the second with a basket for JCA before Stavros hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 12. Cervantes drained two more 3-pointers later in the quarter, the second giving the Hilltoppers a 25-16 lead. A 3-pointer by Stavros got the Corsairs to within 25-19, and a basket by Jack Luby made it 25-21, but Passehl converted an old-fashioned three-point play to end the first half.

“JCA is very quick and has good size,” Carmel coach Mike Wasielewski said. “They really never let us get into our offense. We played hard on defense, and Ethan got hot in the third quarter, but we couldn’t keep it up.”

Dahm scored on a putback to start the third quarter, and that was followed by a Matz 3-pointer to make it 28-26. Armstrong hit a pair of free throws before Matz hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Carmel its first lead of the game at 32-30.

After Tunkel hit a pair of free throws to tie it, Matz and Cervantes traded 3-pointers for a 35-35 tie. Armstrong hit a pair of free throws for a 37-35 JCA lead, but Matz drained another triple to put Carmel ahead entering the fourth.

“We are very blessed to have the guards that we have,” JCA coach Adam DeGroot said. “When the game is on the line, they can go get a basket or get fouled and make free throws. The maturity that Donavyn Simmons has shown this year as far as figuring out the game and playing with discipline has been amazing.

“Danny Cervantes had a big game for us, hitting a few 3s. He is able to stretch the floor and give Donavyn and Jayden space to drive, and when teams collapse on them, they kick it out to him and he usually hits those shots.

“The pieces are there for this team. Now, we need it to show up nightly. We will find out how good we are in January, because we have a very tough schedule this month.”